Surface mount and lead-free advice needed

[Vermonter73]

I learned to solder back in the late 80s. I haven't had much chance to update my skills for all this new-fangled surface mount, lead-free stuff :huh:

Can anybody recommend some good books, or sites with info? Can an average decent solder station for $50 or so handle it? I'll be assembling lights with LEDS, microcontrollers, and battery packs. I'm used to soldering joints like the ones for the battery packs, but the LED stars and such are something new. How heat-sensitive are LEDs? I assume I should use heatsinks when soldering?

Thanks for any info :thumbsup:

 

[Quantumstate]

A few days ago I posted a tutorial on home-made reflow soldering of SMDs, specifically the Cree XR-E emitter. Do a search on my name and microtorch.

Most SMDs these days are designed for reflow soldering, so as long as you apply the right amount of heat to reflow the paste, you'll be OK.